


Once Upon a Night

by Rubyleaf



Category: Black Clover - 田畠裕基 | Tabata Yuki
Genre: Asta is probably oblivious, M/M, Pining, Today in: I thought too much about a Thing and got emo, Yuno is pining hard, aka best boy, his totally-not-a-crush on Asta knocked me out so here's this, honestly I just want Yuno to get to repay Asta once PLEASE THAT'S ALL I ASK, in this case the Thing is Yuno, served with a side of childhood memories and reminiscence, study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 06:27:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12315573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubyleaf/pseuds/Rubyleaf
Summary: Yuno wakes up in the middle of the night after dreaming of his rival and friend. The same rival and friend who keeps haunting his thoughts even as he lies awake, counting down the time until their next meeting.





	Once Upon a Night

I dreamed of you just now.

My eyes are wide open as I stare at the ceiling, gazing silently without taking in any of the intricate patterns on it. The room is dark. The building is silent. Outside the window clouds are passing over the moon. The entire city is fast asleep, the entire city except me.

What are you doing right now, Asta? I bet you’re asleep too, sprawled across the bed and snoring and dreaming of becoming Wizard King. I bet you aren’t lying awake, thinking of me and wondering what I’m doing and when we’ll see each other again.

No, of course you aren’t. You aren’t me. You’ve never been one to lie awake at night, tossing and turning and wondering about the uncertain, worrying, thinking too much. That was always me. And you were the one who would calm me down with your undisturbed snoring or make me smile by falling on your face or doing something stupid that made all the kids in the orphanage point their fingers and laugh at you. And when they laughed you’d start yelling and doing something even stupider, and I would relax, knowing I was safe as long as I was with you.

And then you fought to protect me, you got hurt, and I realized that I couldn’t keep counting on you forever.

I realized that if I continued to be weak and hide behind you, you’d keep getting injured for me. You might get yourself killed for me. I realized I already owed you more than I could ever repay, and so I put up my walls. I tried to become strong. I started hiding my feelings until I almost forgot how to express them. I taught myself to use my magic to the best I could, I studied, I worked hard to be stronger. Someone you didn’t have to worry about. Someone you didn’t need to risk your life for. Someone who, if worse came to worst, could protect you.

And yet I still can’t do it. I’m trying, over and over again. And still, time after time after time, it’s always you who saves me in the end.

You’re amazing, do you know that? No matter what anyone else says, no matter what I keep telling you, you’re an incredible person. You’re the one who kept me going all those years. You’re my friend and my rival, the one person in the world I can never afford to lose.

I’m glad you ended up being chosen. I’m glad we can keep going side by side, I’m glad we can still keep competing, side by side, even if we’re not always together anymore. And yet… it’s worrying me, too. Because you’re getting stronger. You, who have been so strong from the start, are moving ahead of me yet again, and I’m chasing after you, trying to keep up, trying to become strong enough to repay you for everything I owe you and only owing you more and more as we go on together. It isn’t fair. You aren’t fair. You look so stupid, so ordinary, and yet… What is it? What do you have that always pulls you ahead of me?

I won’t tell you to wait for me. I’ll tell you too keep running, running as fast as you can, because I’ll catch up someday. But sometimes I’m not so sure. You’re a fast runner, Asta, short legs and everything.

I won’t tell you to wait for me. I won’t tell you to let me win. You’re my rival. We’re equals, and this is a fair fight. But please… please…

One time… just one time, let it be me who saves you for a change.


End file.
